Gameday preview: Gophers women's basketball at Illinois

Gophers update: Guard Carlie Wagner has opened the Big Ten season by averaging 27 points as the Gophers (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) lost to Rutgers and beat Penn State. Wagner is the Big Ten’s leading scorer in conference-only games; her overall average of 19.7 points ranks fourth. Guard Rachel Banham tops the Gophers with 22.4 points per game, second in the Big Ten. In Sunday’s 98-85 victory over Penn State, the Gophers reached their highest point total in a conference game since 2003; their overall average of 77.7 is seventh in the league. The Gophers have not won at Illinois since 2009 and are 2-8 against the Illini in the past 10 meetings.

Illinois update: After starting the season 7-1, the Illini (7-6, 0-2) have lost five in a row. They are the worst-shooting team in the Big Ten — making 41.7 percent, just below the Gophers’ 42.1 percent — but they are averaging eight three-pointers per game, second in the Big Ten behind the Gophers’ 8.9. Sophomore C Chatrice White averages 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The Illini are 22-8 against the Gophers in Champaign.